Half a War
by Dusk108
Summary: It's a Ranma homeworld fusion. The Saotomes are a Kiith in hiding. The Tendos are trying to survive on the edge of hiigarna territory. It's also my first fanfic ever posted so be gentle C&C welcome. Please Review, feedback is very welcome.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Ranma 1/2 characters or the Homeworld universe. Someone else does I'm just writing this for fun.

**Half a War**

By: Dusk

"Explain to me again why we're doing this" questioned Akane.

"Daddy, mind if I explain it to her" Nabiki asked in a dry voice.

"Sure honey, go ahead"

"Now Akane as was already explained to you, this meeting with kiith Saotome is to secure an alliance that is mutually beneficial. That way both our kiithid can survive and remain independent of the larger Kith."

"I get that much Nabiki, but why does one of us have to marry this Ranma person whom we've never met and why does it have to be the Saotome kiith." Akane was bored and she hoped Nabiki had found something interesting about the Saotomes. Right now the most interesting thing was the view out the window of the command deck they were currently in.

"Well Akane" started Soun "Genma and I have quite a history together and part of that history is a pact to unite our kiithid in a way that could never be broken." He really wished Akane would show some interest in what was going on, instead of just staring at nebula through the windows.

"It is also convenient that we of kiith Tendo have massive resources but lack the technology and skills to fully use them. On the other hand the Saotomes were once a engineering kith and while they lack the resources they definitely have the skills."

Just like Nabiki to always look at the bottom line thought Akane. Never mind that Nabiki probably wouldn't marry the boy unless she wanted to, which meant she or Kasumi would have to marry the pervert. All boys were perverts it never seemed to change no matter where they went, be it Hiigara or the rim territories or anywhere in between.

"That's not what I was asking" Stated Akane as she stared out the window at the sun hidden behind the nebula. "What I was asking is where do they come from, what's this expertise and skill they're supposed to have? How come I never heard of them and can't find them in the kiith records?"

"That, Akane, is what I was getting to." Nabiki replied with a smile, happy to show off her skills as an information seeker. "To start with, officially kiith Saotome was massacred Nearly 50 years ago by the Taidan Empire. There were no survivors found and worst of all none of the research that they were working on was found either. The Saotome kiith was reportedly working on something big and it was feared that it had fallen into Empire hands. The truth is that one member did survive and he went into hiding with the lost research faking his death."

"Wait." demanded Akane "Why would he go into hiding and not go to another Kiith for help, I mean if this research was that important why not make sure the Hiigarans keep it."

"Because they didn't want the Taidan to target another family. And they had philosophically opposing views with many of the military kiith."

"So what happened after this Saotome went into hiding?" Akane said sounding a little annoyed. She glanced around the Command Bridge that her family was on, hoping that the discussion was not distracting her crew from their work.

"Right well this Saotome, I don't know his name or if it's actually a he, I'm only filling in blanks here with theories, escaped and hid for a number of years trying to finish the research. He or she married and had a child most likely only one, a son. That was Genma. Genma studied with his mother or father as well as attended the Military academy under an assumed name of course. That where he met daddy. Genma apparently managed to nearly finish the research as well as finishing at near the top of his class in the academy."

"Wow you mean the Saotomes aren't just a bunch of geeks." Akane was impressed. The military academy was no cakewalk, she was attending classes there right now and already three fourths of the students from her original class had flunked out.

"Yes the Saotomes are no pushovers. Genma and his parents managed to use their money to buy a small military frigate and started hunting bounties and providing mercenary services to the larger families. They needed the money to finish the research since the state was no longer sponsoring Genma. Genma also took along his wife whom he met at the academy with him. The two of them were quite successful and managed to acquire a carrier 3 years later as a reward for their efforts fighting the Empire. They never took jobs against the Hiigaran people and always responded to distress calls from ships in need. Although from what dad tells me that latter part must be Nodoka's influence."

"Nodoka? Who's that?" asked Kasumi.

"Nodoka is Genma's wife." answered Soun "She was quite the woman in the academy, somewhat traditionally minded but very strong willed. She actually beat Saotome in the academies rankings."

"I didn't realize that, I must be slipping" commented Nabiki jokingly "Anyway, once The Saotomes got their carrier they named their mercenary group and started recruiting soldiers."

"Don't you mean hiring Nabiki?" asked Akane.

"Nope anyone who joins the Senken group is there for life, no backing out." replied Nabiki

That caused Akane to sit bolt upright and take her eyes off the view for the first time in the conversation. "The Senken, you mean thee Senken mercenaries."

"Yup. Our potential fiancé is the young commander of the famous and undefeated Senken. Over four hundred battles fought, twenty-six confirmed cruiser kills, twenty-one carriers kills and innumerable frigate kills. Simply the best you could find, that is what that I am talking about when I mention skills. That and their military technology."

"Technology? What sort of technology Nabiki?" asked Kasumi.

"Of that I'm not really sure Kasumi, most of the stuff that they've displayed has been military stuff you know like very fast and efficient ship engines and some weapon and defense technology. The Senken doesn't work with other groups all their missions are solo and there's never any survivors to question after so it's really hard to say. The only reports we get are from non-military ships that the Senken has rescued from the Taidan Empire. You can understand why the details are a little sketchy. The kill counts are only tallied from wreckage found after the Senken have swept through an area. What Thhe Senken does with prisoners is unknown. Although it's rumored that they have a secret jail somewhere."

"Wait, if Genma went to the Academy under an assumed name how do we know it was really him, I mean he could be lying hoping to get into a family with influence." Akane was still skeptical of this whole marriage deal, especially since she had never met her possible future husband yet. 

"Yes Akane, most of what I've been basing my theories on is what I've managed to wheedle out of dad and mom and some cross referencing information. This is still mostly guess work on my part.

"So how do you know these are really the Saotomes and not someone with a clever story?" Akane asked her father.

"Err well you see Genma sort of gave me some of the research his family had been working and it is way beyond anything currently even conceived. That and he was roaring drunk when he first confessed to me, too drunk to actually be able to lie about some of the stuff he told me." Soun was looking a little sheepish but did seem reasonably confidant that he had been told the truth.

"Now about this part about the Saotomes being the commanders of the Senken. Why do you believe that Nabiki" Kimiko was curious not even she and Soun had figured that one out.

"Well..." Leave mom to find the one real weak spot in my theories thought Nabiki "it's mostly just a hunch really. Dad mentioned that Genma was always talking about how poor ship design was in the fleet and that there was no room for adaptability and expansion, that ships seemed to be designed with obsolescence in mind. The Senken Carrier is still functioning even after 17 years and it's even been massively upgraded from the few reports of it that we have. Also the general hatred that they have for the Taidan Empire is impressive. Like I said it's really just a hunch."

"Oh so they could really be anybody actually?" Akane sounded a little depressed. Damn shouldn't have let myself get my hopes up she thought. She went back to staring at the surrounding stars, hoping something would break the monotony of waiting for the Saotomes. Just like a boy to be late for his own engagement Akane thought to herself.

Just than an alarm klaxon went off as a report came in from the recon flight she had sent out. 

"What's the emergency?" Akane demanded

"Taidanni Empire ships have been found Commander." reported the communications officer.

Damn, Akane thought to herself, that wasn't what I had in mind. "Okay I want the fleet size and general breakdown now."

Normally Soun would be in charge if a military emergency broke out, but they were using Akane's carrier meaning that she was the commander and captain of it, therefore she was in charge.

"Yes commander, Recon squad reports fifteen frigate class ships, three destroyer class and one heavy cruiser." The last was reported with a little fear. Heavy cruisers were massive, virtual juggernauts of armor and firepower. Most Motherships were not designed to deal with them directly and definitely not Akane's moderately sized carrier C-Chan. "They'll be here in twenty minutes. They have a standard fighter escort."

Nabiki swore quietly to herself as she wished they had taken her carrier Riskbreaker. Although smaller than Akane's C-Chan (Nabiki really wondered why Akane picked that name) it was fast and could have out run the destroyers and heavy cruiser easy. Nabiki also had the methods to deal with the frigates once they had caught up.

"Can we hyperspace away from here?" Asked Kimiko.

"Engineering, what's the word on the hyper space drives?" Akane relayed to the bridge crew.

"We'll need 4 more hours to recharge the drives Commander." was the answer from the tech hovering over the engineering display.

Akane thought quickly, she had twenty minutes, could she increase that? "Begin a retreat. Order the recon squad in and have them give a more detailed report. Give me the new ETA until intercept."

"We'll have 45 minutes Commander."

Akane breathed a little easier she had 45 minutes to prepare now if she could only hold out the extra three hours and fifteen minutes after that so they could hyperspace away. She reviewed the fleet she had with her at the moment. Two assault frigates and forty fighters as well as the seven recon fighters were all she had. Not much but she could increase that. "Have the flight crews launch all ships and guard the C-Chan. next have the bays begin construction of two more assault frigates and two Ion frigates. Also have them construct as many heavy corvettes as they can."

Soun nodded approvingly. The fighters and corvettes would take care of the fighter escort and than begin hammering the destroyers and cruiser. The assault frigates would cover the ion frigates and the C-Chan as it pounded the enemy frigates. C-Chan despite the name was a strike carrier and had two doublewide fighter bays as well as two frigate class construction bays. It also had 3 heavy turrets (half that of a cruiser) as well as two turreted ion beams (also half that of a cruiser). It also had four small anti fighter turrets. All in all it was a frontline carrier and Akane was using it as such.

"We're receiving an incoming call from the Taidan cruiser" reported the communications officer.

"Put it through" Akane told her.

"THIS IS THE EMPIRE TO TENDO CARRIER. YOU WILL SURRENDER AND DISCLOSE ALL INFORMATION CONSERNING YOUR MEETING AND THE PARTY YOU ARE CONSPIRING WITH."

Nabiki couldn't believe her ears. The empire had found out about this meeting than sent a complete moron in to break it up. She would never have revealed how little she knew to the enemy. When she got back she was seriously going to have it out with her agents over this one.

While Nabiki planned the shake up she was going to do to her network of agents Akane was replying to the Taidan commander. Her reply was indecent, totally anatomically impossible and thoroughly shocked her oldest sister and mother.

"AKANE!" chorused Kimiko and Kasumi.

"Sorry mom, sorry sis." Akane sheepishly replied.

Now all that was left to do was play a waiting game while the players positioned themselves. If her Riskbreaker hadn't been in dry dock Nabiki thought to herself they would have been able to out run most of the fleet following them. The Riskbreaker was small compared to most carriers. It had a single frigate construction bay and one bay for strike craft. It had only a single heavy turret as well, but it had several features in its favor as well. For starters it was the only carrier that was equipped with missile bays. The missiles allowed to easily handle strike craft like fighters and corvettes. The small size of it also allowed being extremely fast and maneuverable and it could easily stay in the blind spot of a destroyer or heavy cruiser. Unfortunately the Riskbreaker was vulnerable to frigate class vessels which it could not out run and did not have the firepower to handle on it's own.

Kasumi's carrier Homestead wouldn't have been up to the challenge either actually, even with its four frigate bays and three fighter bays. The Homestead had only point defense turrets, which could handle small waves of fighters but would have been ineffectual against corvettes or anything larger. And it's massive size made it so slow it was a veritable sitting duck.

"Well Akane now it looks like we sit and wait." Soun commented to his daughter. "Did we get a distress call off before they started jamming?"

Akane looked to her communications officer again. "We only managed to get a brief distress call off and only at low power as well. The comm systems were powered down to attract less attention. I'm afraid we're pretty much on our own here Sir."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Ranma 1/2, Homeworld or Homeworld: Cataclysm, yadda, yadda legal stuff. Don't sue me, you won't get enough to cover your legal bills.

Authors notes: to those of you unfamiliar with Homeworld some glossary. Kiith - a rough clan-like grouping that often fills a role in society like warrior, merchant, industrial, miner, religious caretaker, scientist and all sorts of roles. These kiithid (plural for kiith) could have members that numbered in the hundreds of thousands until the war struck. I've given the Hiigarans some time to recover their numbers and expand their territory.

The rest of the technical stuff you should be able to figure out, as it will be explained to some degree in the story.

**Half a War**

Time, Nabiki reflected, was the oddest thing. Their 45 minutes were almost up and it had been the longest 45 minutes of her life. The minutes had ticked by slowly as Akane's carrier C-Chan had retreated, trying to by time so it could build a fleet. At the same time those 45 minutes had been incredibly short and now she couldn't believe that the time had just passed, she didn't know where it had all gone.

"Kasumi why don't you go down to the infirmary and see if you can help them with the wounded." That was Kimiko's suggestion. Nabiki thought it was a good idea, Kasumi had never witnessed front line combat and she should be in someplace where she could be of help.

They hadn't met the main fleet yet but five minutes ago the enemy's fighter support had swept in and started attacking the frigates that Akane had ordered built. That had forced Akane to launch her fighters, which had been in the middle of refueling, as well as the corvettes that had been completed. The enemy fighters numbered nearly eighty interceptors and twenty bombers. When it was over the enemy fighters had been wiped out but Akane was down to seventeen of her original forty fighters and four of the sixteen corvettes that had been built. Two of her frigates were also heavily damaged. Reluctantly she ordered two repair corvettes built ASAP. Akane swore to herself as she realized she should have expected something like this. The Taidanni were known to be ruthless in their tactics and sacrificing fighters so the frigates could pound their opponents with impunity was a standard tactic.

"Taidan fleet will be in firing range in one minute Commander." came the report from the tactical officer.

"Okay bring the fleet around and engage head on. Remember concentrate on one ship at a time and try to nail them from the sides." Akane ordered. Although Soun could have taken command had he so desired he left it to Akane, this was her ship and her crew. She knew the limitations and capabilities of her crew better than he did. After all, she had used this ship to train at the Academy and was very familiar with it by now.

As the four assault frigates and two ion frigates turned to the left the C-Chan turned upward in a half loop as it reversed its vertical orientation. It would keep the top half pointed toward the enemy where its weaponry was concentrated while keeping the launch bays out of the direct line of fire.

Akane watched the Taidan frigates become visible in the view port and proceeded to order her remaining corvettes and fighters to circle around and take the frigates from behind. She also ordered them to concentrate fire on the ion frigates that were being trained on the C-Chan.

Suddenly the assault frigates of the Tendo fleet began opening fire at long range hoping to bring the enemy down as fast as possible. The Taidan were only seconds behind with their return volley and than the battle was on. Searing balls of high-energy plasma flew through space as lances of charged ions cut through the darkness to burrow into the dense armor covering the vulnerable crew inside each ship. The C-Chan was the first ship to score a kill managing to reduce an ion frigate a dense vapor. Unfortunately Akane's two damaged frigates were destroyed soon after. She checked the tactical display and saw that the destroyers were only three minutes away and the cruiser was only one minute behind them. She saw another enemy frigate succumb to the concentrated fire of the fighter and corvette group and a third that fell to hell frigate group. The odds where still thirteen frigates to her four, and the odds where one and a half minutes from getting worse.

Alarmingly the hyperspace indicator went off, startling everyone.

"Hyper space signature detected directly behind us. Two massive signatures as well twenty smaller signatures."

Akane cursed some more. There was no way they could hold out long enough to hyperspace now.

"Commander they're hailing us. It's on a Hiigaran frequency."

"Put them on the screen so we can respond." Akane prayed this wasn't some sort of cruel ruse.

"This is the carrier Senken to carrier C-Chan. We are here to assist, please transmit your comm frequencies so we can update our friend or foe recognition systems." Akane was elated and hardly heard her fathers shout of relief through her own.

"Transmit codes now by tight beam only and ask if we can speak to their commander." Akane ordered. She wanted to coordinate her forces properly with the Senken forcers and she needed communication to do so.

A woman's face appeared on the screen. She was middle aged although and had a confidant look about her, a katana could be seen strapped to her back. She spoke with a quiet and assured confidence. "Greetings kiith Tendo. We can handle the Taidan. If you would withdraw your ships and allow us to assist with repairs we will cover your retreat."

Akane didn't like retreating and she was about to tell the woman that her forces would assist in fighting the Taidan when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw her mother " Akane our forces need to retreat they are badly damaged and we don't want good soldiers to die needlessly." With that Akane relented and ordered her forces to retreat behind the advancing Senken forces.

"Thank you Akane. There is no dishonor in retreating. You're are heavily out gunned and unprepared for a battle of this magnitude." With that she left the channel open but started to give orders to her own crew. "Genma take the Vengeance between the enemy fleet and the C-Chan. Ranma bring you're fighters around and behind the enemy cruiser. Take it down then join the frigates as they cover the Vengeance. And remember this meeting was supposed to be secret, no witnesses."

"Right mom." Came the reply over the audio only channel. Akane thought the boy sounded very young. Nabiki had another suspicion but she kept it to herself until she could confirm it. Instead she brought up the visual of the Senken carrier as it launched its fighters from one of its three fighter bays. To her it appeared as if the fighters were moving unusually fast and she had the computer calculate their speed. When the answer came back to her she could only stare at in shock. Fighters simply could not move that fast, no engine design she had ever heard of could create that kind of output. Even if these were the Saotomes with their lost tech it shouldn't be that advanced, it was decades ahead of anything currently in the Hiigaran or Taidan fleets.

"Nodoka is that you?" Soun could only stare at the woman. She looked incredible for her age, unlike Genma who seemed to have lost all of his hair but was still recognizable even with the military barrette replacing his usual bandanna.

"Yes Soun it is. I am glad to see you are doing well. I assume that is your wife beside you." Kimiko could only marvel at the woman. Here they were in the middle of a battle and she was taking time for small talk of all things.

"Err yes, right. Kimiko this is Saotome Nodoka and her husband Genma Saotome. Nodoka this is Kimiko, my wife. Akane my youngest daughter is currently commanding our troops. I am sorry but can we save the rest of the introductions until the Taidan are no longer a threat?"

"Of course Soun. When this is done if you will meet us on the Senken and continue with formal introductions. Until than Soun." With that Nodoka closed the communication channel.

"Well she is very much as I remember her. Genma still doesn't seem to like talking over the comm systems I guess." Soun commented.

With that Nabiki went back to observing the battle between the Taidan and the Senken forces. It was quickly apparent that the battle would be one-sided. The Senken ships were vastly superior in design and the crews were using it to their advantage. While the Taidan and Hiigaran Military used standard Ion frigates, the Senken were using a system that mirrored the old Somtaaw design. The difference being that standard ion frigate design had the entire hull wrapped around a single ion accelerator with the business end pointed forward. It allowed for a great power to the weapon but limited the coverage. Recently the firing end of accelerator had been turreted in the design but the coverage was still limited to a fifteen-degree cone in front of the frigate. The Saotomes had used a principle of bending the accelerator chamber into a helix and using beam splitters to give their frigates a greater coverage with multiple beam firing points on the hull. The draw back was reduced firepower. However the Saotome vessels were vastly superior in maneuverability and could easily evade the enemy frigates while relentlessly pound their exposed flanks. By this time the three destroyers had joined the battle and were trying to engage the Senken cruiser Vengeance.

The Vengeance, Nabiki realized was as unique as the Senken carrier. It sported an impressive eight heavy turrets and over a dozen of the quick tracking ion beams that Nabiki had seen on the frigates. Also the Vengeance was deploying what appeared to be a type of drone, twelve in all, and they were taking up positions surrounding the cruiser. As she watched, the drones finished maneuvering into position and suddenly a curtain of energy surrounded Vengeance. She looked on in shock as energy cannon blasts and ion beams harmlessly dissipated against the wall of energy that enclosed Senken cruiser. She checked and saw that the same was happening around the Senken carrier as well as what appeared to be a missile ship of destroyer class size. Nabiki wondered if the Saotomes had found the lost Somtaaw kiith that had disappeared over two hundred years ago.

Whatever the origins of the technology it had the Taidan totally outclassed. As she watched she was treated to another marvel of the Saotomes engineering as a massive beam of white hot ions streamed from the front of the Vengeance. The beam was easily wide enough to swallow an entire corvette and she swore she saw the destroyer shudder upon impact. When the beam finished firing the destroyer was missing a large chunk of it's hull and vulnerable inner chambers were exposed to the cold vacuum of space. Energy cannon shots flew into the hole and the destroyer began to disintegrate into small fragments under the bombardment as well as the internal explosions signaled that ship was doomed.

By this time the two remaining destroyers were trying to turn tail and run. All that they accomplished was exposing their flanks to a withering salvo from the Vengeance's turrets and smaller ion beams. By this time Nabiki noticed that all but three of the original fifteen Taidan frigates were left in one piece. Also the fighter wing that had been led by Ranma was returning as well. A single run from the high-speed fighters reduced one of the last three frigates to harmless chunks of space debris. The fighters than turned their attention to the destroyers as thry tried to flee from the slower Vengeance. One of destroyers didn't make it as the Vengeance opened fire with it's massive ion beam again, this time destroying the ships engines and causing it's fusion power plant to explode. The fighter wing swarmed the remaining destroyer and began to take apart its armor at an astonishing rate. The destroyer detonated in short order joining the last of frigates in the silent death of the vacuum.

Nabiki began reviewing the battle performance of both Akane's fleet as well as the Senken's. Akane had done well for herself considering the resources she had. She had lost over half her fighters as well as most of her corvettes but only two of her frigates. Unfortunately a total of fifteen crewmembers had died, mostly fighter pilots. The Senken however had no fatalities and had lost only five of the sixty fighters she saw launch. A medical corvette that tracked the homing beacon located on every suit was currently retrieving those five pilots. Even given that the Senken had out numbered the Taidan forces, to come through a battle with so few losses was remarkable. Nabiki had been pretty confident of her hunch that the Saotomes were the Senken mercenaries, but it was still very satisfying to know that she was right.

Akane in the meantime was reviewing her fleet and beginning post battle operations. "Hangar crew send out a passenger shuttle and begin retrieving our people, as well as any Taidan survivors. Nabiki will want as much intel as possible so see if you can find any flight recorders after you've finished with rescue operations." Next Akane talked to Kasumi in the infirmary. "Kasumi how well are you handling the wounded down there?"

Kasumi answered over the intercom "We're doing well down here we shouldn't lose anyone, but I'm not sure if everyone will be able to pilot again. We'll do our best but these simply aren't the facilities I'm used to."

"I know Kasumi but its all we have right now." was Akane's reply. Kasumi's carrier the Homestead had the most complete and extensive hospital facilities found on any carrier class ship. The Homestead had nearly everything that a hospital could have, including very expensive bio fabrication tanks that allowed organs to be grown to temporarily replace any that a person might loose in battle. Once the patient could be transferred to a real hospital a fully compatible organ could be grown to replace the temporary one. A thought occurred to Nabiki as she listened to the conversation.

"Akane why don't you contact Nodoka and see if they might have better facilities for the wounded aboard the Senken, after all they spend a great deal of time away from colonized worlds." Kimiko suggested just as Nabiki opened her mouth. Nabiki was surprised to hear her mother suggest this. It was exactly what she had been about to suggest. Yes her mother was definitely a sharp woman, she wondered how her dad had managed to successfully marry her sometimes. Her parents were uncharacteristically tight lipped about the subject.

"Sure mom." With that Akane opened a channel with the Senken carrier. A brief moment later Nodoka's face appeared on screen looking surprisingly cheerful and motherly. Motherly was the only word Akane could think of to suitably describe her.

"Hello dear. What can I do for you?" Nabiki wondered about the woman. Really who could be so calm during, and after a battle like that.

"We were wondering if you could help us with our wounded Commander Nodoka. Our facilities are unfortunately not equipped to deal with some of the injuries that our crew has incurred." Akane was really very polite so long as the person she was talking to didn't happen to be a male under thirty years of age or possessing a lustful expression on their face. Kimiko hoped that Akane would eventually calm down and give a small measure of respect to nearly half the population that compromised her age group.

"Of course we can help Akane. Have who ever you can brought over to the Senken. We can handle everything after that. Oh and I would like for you and your family to come aboard the Senken so we can attend to the matter for which we went to all this trouble for."

Soun replied for his family "Of course Nodoka we will come aboard as soon the last of the wounded has been cared for." Now that the battle was finished Soun would be considered in command again and he felt it prudent to accept Nodoka's offer of hospitality.

Akane began communicating with Kasumi and started organizing the transfer of patients.

"Nabiki what will we do with surviving Taidan? The brig on this ship is very small and we won't have room for all of them." Akane asked her sister.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about it Akane. The Senken are picking up any and all survivors, including the Taidan. I guess I'll have to go aboard the Senken to get the answers I want."

Less than half an hour later the Tendo family left the C-Chan and prepared to meet their soon to be allies the Saotomes.

===================================================================

Authors notes again: The Characters are going to be a little OOC. This is for a number of reasons really. Ranma obviously grew up with both of his parents, as did the Tendo sisters. Also the Homeworld universe is a great deal more serious than the Ranma universe and the attitudes of the characters are going to reflect that as well.

Read And Review, C&C always welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Ranma 1/2, Homeworld or Homeworld: Cataclysm, (yadda, yadda insert legal stuff). Don't sue me, you won't get enough to cover your legal bills.

**Half a War: Chapter 3**

As Kasumi stepped out of the passenger area of the shuttle she had to admire the air of Senken carrier. It was a little thing really, but it was also a very important thing. Humans and nearly all known sentient races needed air in one form another. The air in any space ship tended to be stale, the air scrubbers robbing the air of anything organic. Disease was a major concern aboard ships and the best way to handle outbreaks was to prevent them. The air aboard the Senken had a slight scent to it; it smelled almost like a sea or lake, a slightly briny smell that compared to the normal staleness was actually pleasant.

As she continued down she saw two people waiting for her and her family at the bottom of the ramp. That must be Nodoka and Genma she thought to herself. She recognized them from the brief description that Nabiki had given her. Nodoka was wearing an old style woman's uniform, the type that had a knee length skirt with slits up the side, rather than the more modern uniform with pants. She also had an old sword strapped across her back. It gave her an air of being very much in control. Beside her was a man wearing a gray pilots uniform, and a barrette covering his apparently bald head. The odd glasses seemed to use an elastic cord to loop around his ears. She was honored that the two would meet them personally, rather than send an ensign to escort her and her family. She wondered were Ranma was it seemed odd that his parents were here but that he would be missing. She really hoped that he wouldn't be too young, young men tended to be, boring and, well, as Akane often put it, perverted.

"So where's this Ranma we're supposed to meet? He couldn't even be bothered to show up for his own engagement." Akane was already voicing her disapproval it seemed. Kasumi just sighed, sometimes there were good reasons for people seemingly rude behavior and she hoped Akane would learn this eventually.

"Ranma is currently finishing up the recon patrol. He'll be back in a few short moments so long as nothing else pops up unexpectedly." Nodoka said with a pleasant smile, apparently ignoring the ire in Akane's voice. "If you don't mind we can wait here on the flight deck until he arrives."

Kasumi glanced around the flight deck taking it in. The area was mostly clear except for a few ships kept at the ready for immediate launch. From what she saw it appeared as though most of the spacecraft were kept below and above the flight deck. Lifts were likely used to raise or lower the fighters and other small craft when needed. She could see the areas in the floor that would open up to allow fighters to be raised. The configuration was odd though. The openings were long and appeared to run the breadth of the flight deck. Most carriers had small doors just big enough to fit a single ship through. These long doors could probably admit five or six craft through. The organization and timing that would be required would be incredible. She wondered what standards the Senken used when recruiting pilots and crew. They would have to above what the Hiigaran military admitted. But than considering the fame of the Senken she supposed they could be picky.

Nabiki asked a question that immediately popped to mind "Why would Ranma lead the recon? I gathered that he was a fighter pilot."

Genma answered. "Ranma has some special abilities that make him incredibly effective at recon and after that incident with the Taidan he insisted on personally leading the recon patrol on it's first sweep. If Ranma can't find anything, than nothings coming for a while."

"What makes Ranma so special that he couldn't leave it to his pilots." Akane still didn't sound pleased.

"That, I am afraid, is very hard to explain, and will have to wait until Ranma arrives. You really wouldn't believe us unless we showed you." Nodoka was still perfectly polite and he small smile hadn't left her face yet.

"Ah, yes, well about Ranma. Is he eligible to unite our kiithid?" Soun asked the one question he hadn't the patience to be polite about.

"Don't worry about that Tendo. Ranma is old enough if that's what you're asking." Genma answered his old friend.

"Are you sure, our youngest child is sixteen, Ranma seemed very young when he heard him over the comm." Kimiko didn't want her daughter to have to baby sit her husband, at least not literally.

"That is one of the things that you will have to see to believe. Which is just as well, Ranma's recon flight is just docking. Ranma will be the last to land, he likes to make sure that his crew is safe." Nodoka said.

Kasumi looked over to see just that happening. The ships entered the hangar three abroad and where wheeled efficiently into docked position. The pilots than began climbing out of the cockpits and loosening their flight suits. Kasumi noticed that for some reason every pilot was soaking wet. She was really curious about that and had to ask. "Genma why are all your pilots so wet?"

"The short answer is that the cockpit is filled with fluid. The fluid is denser than blood and when the pilot pulls high g-force maneuvers the pressure squeezes the body and helps keep the blood near the brain. The pilots also breathe the water, which is super saturated with oxygen using a unique set of chemicals. This prevents their lungs from collapsing under the pressure of some of the really extreme maneuvers."

"So is this some of the special research that you Saotomes disappeared with all those years ago?" asked Nabiki.

"Actually no. The high power ship drives and weapons systems are mostly what our kiith worked on decades ago. The fluid cockpits were Ranma's idea. Of course he left the actual development of them to me, and, the engineers I managed to hire."

"What's that about me?" Asked a small redheaded girl as she approached. Kasumi noticed that she walked confidently as she approached, and didn't seem at all intimidated by Genma and Nodoka. She was wearing a pilot's uniform and was in the process of wringing her top out. Unfortunately she had taken her top off in order to rid it of its excess moisture, the top of her fight suit was bunched around her waist, leaving her completely naked from the waste up. There was no doubt that if this was Ranma than he was definitely female and therefore not a he. 

"Ranma! What have I told you about running around topless?" Nodoka looked slightly upset with Ranma. Kasumi meanwhile looked at the obviously female Ranma and sighed to herself. Well hopefully the trip wouldn't be a complete waste now that the engagement business was off. Under normal circumstances two women marrying would not be a problem but when kiith politics and succession were involved things got complicated. Uniting the kiithid without the unity being able to produce an heir was pointless and would not be recognized as a union of the kiithid by the council.

"Don't worry Mom. Hiroshi is getting me hot water." 

From off to the side came a warning "Hey Ranma, heads up man!" called a young man as he tossed a closed container of water in Ranma's direction.

Ranma caught the container unscrewed the lid and proceeded to dump the slightly steaming contents over her head. All five Tendos watched in shocked amazement, as the petite redhead seemed to flow outward and become a young man. "See mom, problem solved. No more breasts." the young man said. He turned to thank his friend but Hiroshi had already disappeared. Ranma shrugged and turned back to the Tendos.

Kasumi began to re-evaluate the new Ranma. This male was nearly a good twenty-five centimeters taller than the girl that he had been, also a mass of around thirty kilos had been added. Rougher masculine lines had replaced soft feminine curves. The face was the most startling, it had changed and somehow not changed. All the features were nearly the same but only the smallest changes were evident; a stronger jaw, straighter nose, tighter mouth and several other almost invisible changes had been made. Yet the face was unmistakably the same, no siblings looked as similar as Ranma's two forms. She looked at his eyes and saw that they hadn't changed in the least. The eyes were still clear blue and sparkling with a bit of mischief.

"Ranma I wish you had waited before doing that." Nodoka still looked displeased with her child. "These aren't normal circumstances and you should have used more tact."

"I don't like hiding it mom. Especially after that incident with Ryoga. Not to mention Kuno" Ranma looked only slightly sheepish.

"Well Ranma since you seem to be in the mood to have matters settled quickly I would like you to meet the Tendos." Nodoka had a look of mischief in her now as well. "This is Soun and his wife Kimiko. These are their daughters: Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi."

Ranma smiled and bowed politely "Pleased to meet you."

The Tendos were still in shock and could only stare at the young man who had been a woman only a moment ago.

"Well Ranma I'm glad you seem to like them." Nodoka smiled and continued "One of those young woman is going to be your wife in the not too distant future. I hope you'll get along with the girl who gets to be your fiancée."

Now it was Ranma's turn to stare in shock as he went rigid. Silence reigned over the flight deck for several moments. Nabiki noticed that a slight hum could be heard and that probably meant that the drive system of the carrier had been damaged in the brief fight with the Taidan. She hoped that the Engineers and Techs were working on the problem.

Meanwhile down nearly three stories and eight hundred meters away through corridors, reinforced bulkheads and tons of super strong alloys, the repairs had been temporarily halted. Two fighter pilots were just arriving, huffing and puffing from the short but intense run from flight deck to engine room. They joined the engineers and technicians as all huddled around a small instrument. The device was designed to pick small sounds too quiet for the human ear to hear and analyze them. The data was used to run diagnostics on various ship components. Right now it was patched with a small data chip that was designed to pick up a very specific sound pattern. They needn't have bothered with the device at all. The sound they were listening for came through loud and only slightly distorted but still easily recognizable.

"FIANCEE!" The word reverberated around the massive room despite the loud purr that the engine drive made.

The engineers and technicians looked at the two pilots and shook their heads. "I don't believe it. Even all the way down here you could hear him." Commented one of the technicians.

"Told you so." Hiroshi said with good humor.

"You guys should know better than to bet against us by now. Really I thought engineers were supposed to be smart." Daisuke looked pleased with himself as he accepted the winnings from the various engineers and technicians.

"Well at least we didn't take the bet that Ranma would be surprised about the engagement," another technician said.

"Heh heh. That was one of worst kept secrets around. Ranma has to pretty clueless if he never picked up on it" an engineer commented.

"Speaking of worst kept secrets and clueless, when do think Ukyo is going to tell Ranma that she's in love him?" Asked the first technician.

"I don't know, want to start a pool on it? Whoever guesses the right time gets the pot." a different engineer suggested.

Hiroshi and Daisuke smiled; they could probably win this one too. Work didn't resume on the drive systems for another half-hour after that.

Back on the flight deck where a shocked Ranma was staring at an equally shocked family of Tendos, things were at a standstill. Nabiki noted that she could no longer hear the humming of the engine over the ringing in her ears. The boy had quite the set of lungs on him, probably from breathing all that water in the cockpits. Nabiki also found it amusing that Ranma looked ready to run and hide in the farthest reaches of the ship that he could find. It made him look kind of cute in boyish sort of way.

"Well boy are you going to stand there and gape like a fish or are you going to choose the girl you want or not?" Genma asked in annoyed and gruff voice.

Nabiki and Kasumi shared a brief look between themselves. They had discussed the matter of the engagement in some detail and decided on several courses of action given several possible scenarios. Having a boy who seemed to change sexes with water was not in any of the scenarios anticipated. 

That was when Akane felt her sisters put their hands on her shoulders. She felt dread at what was about to happen. She knew she complained about boys and just knew that her sisters were going to offer her up as the ideal fiancée. She tried to think of some way out of this but her mind kept coming up blank.

"Don't worry Akane, we know the last thing you need right now is more romantic troubles." That was not what Akane expected to hear from her oldest sister.

"It's okay. Kasumi and I will handle this after all it wouldn't do for the youngest one of us to be the first to get engaged. After all we don't want to be seen as old maids or anything." Nabiki looked at her youngest sister. That expression of horror had been priceless and the look of gratitude after it had been worth just as much.

Behind the three sisters Soun and Kimiko were looking disappointed. They had hoped that engaging Akane would settle her down a little and help her with the problems she seemed to have with boys. "Well, Ranma looks a little young, maybe Akane would be the best match for him." Kimiko commented. She hadn't been expecting her daughters to be so organized about this.

"I'm only a year older than Akane, after all how much difference could a year make." Nabiki had been a little worried that her parents would try something like this with Akane, so she and Kasumi had planned for this as well. It was easier to follow the plan than to think too hard about the sex changing fighter pilot.

"And Akane still has two years left at the Academy, she really doesn't need the stress of an engagement during the hardest part of her education." Kasumi was being sincere about this. Akane really should finish the worst part of her schooling with out distraction.

"But they're both military commanders or at least will be. They would be an ideal match." Soun followed his wife's lead. He really wanted Akane to get over her hang up about boys.

"Daddy, I hate to point this out but Genma and Nodoka are the exception when it comes to married commanders. Most couples have a hard time leaving their personal lives behind on the battlefield, and it can cause severe conflicts. Especially when a command could put a loved one in danger."

"Hey don't I get a say in this?" Ranma asked finally getting over his shock.

"Not just yet Ranma. You'll have to wait while they sort out who is eligible to be your wife." Nodoka answered her son. The word wife sent Ranma into a paralyzed state again. Nodoka looked at him and smiled, he wouldn't be going anywhere for the next few moments.

Meanwhile the Tendos hadn't stopped arguing.

"I'm sorry mother, but Nabiki and I are adamant about this." Kasumi was trying to be firm but these were her parents she was talking to. Unlike Nabiki she was too nice to outright tell them they were wrong.

"Listen mom it's okay. I really don't need a fiancé right now. And Kasumi is right, I really should finish up at the Academy first." Akane was joining her sisters in this endeavor. Hopefully when presented with a united front their parents would give up on trying to go through with this very foolish idea. There was no way she wanted to married to that pervert.

"Alright Akane won't be Ranma's fiancée than." Kimiko really didn't want to give in to her daughters on this matter, but when all three of them agreed on something there was no changing their minds. They were very close as siblings and worked well as a team, to well it seemed.

Akane was relieved. She was out of the deal that only left her poor sisters. Hopefully one of them would be able to keep him in line.

With the declaration of surrender from their parents Kasumi and Nabiki turned to Ranma. "Well Ranma why don't you take us on a tour of your ship, just the three of us?" Nabiki asked as she and Kasumi walked forward and looped arms with Ranma.

"Yes that will give us some time to get to know each other. We can decide on the engagement matter later." Kasumi followed Nabiki's lead. Akane would stay with the parents and make sure they didn't try to pull a fast one after giving in. Kimiko wouldn't go back on her word but Soun might.

As Nabiki and Kasumi walked of with Ranma in tow, his chest still bare, all that he could think about was why would his parents had to keep this a secret from him. Why was he always the last one to know?

Author's notes; 

I'm going to give most of the characters more intelligence in this story than they have in the series so they will be slightly OOC. After all both Ranma and the Tendo sisters grew up with their respective mothers. So no Ranma won't have the neko-ken, Nodoka would never allow it and most battles are ship to ship anyway. Don't worry though some characters will be as stupid as ever.

Also Ranma had his mother to help him through his curse in this story, so he has a different attitude about it. 

So what do you my readers think of my attempt at some humor.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and Homeworld are not mine. I'm using them without permission, etc. etc.

Author's note: Before you flame me about this not being a Ranma + Akane fic, just remember I said I was giving the characters more credit for intelligence.

****

Half a war: Chapter 4

The five remaining people watched as Ranma was led away. He still looked a little shell-shocked and didn't seem to be resisting it like he normally would have been. Genma thought it was a sign that Ranma liked the two girls. Nodoka thought it meant that both girls would do well in settling her son down some. He really was too wild for his own good sometimes.

"Well Tendo do you want a tour of the Senken as well. It must come as quite a surprise to see your old drinking buddy in charge of this group Eh?" Genma sounded a little smug.

Soun loved this game of one-up-man-ship. "Actually Nabiki figured it out on her own. She really is a very bright girl you know. We had to get her private tutors just to keep her occupied. She was raising all sorts of hell at the schools we sent her to."

"I wish we could have done that for Ranma. Out here it's impossible to find good teachers. They all go to the Academy or the Institute or any of the other colleges and universities that are on Hiigara." Nodoka was a little regretful that her son hadn't had a chance to grow up normally.

"Speaking of Ranma, how in the name of the maker did he do that?" Kimiko was recovering and was starting to wonder about marrying one of her children to that boy. "He is a he, right?" She wished she had thought a little more carefully when Nabiki and Kasumi had shown the initiative.

"Yes Ranma is a man. And if you're wondering about him switching gender with a glass of water, I am afraid that's Ranma's story to tell. I can only tell you that for all intents and purposes it appears to be magic."

"But magic doesn't exist." Akane voiced

"Dear, just because you don't know something or don't understand it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. You would be amazed at the amount of magic out there." Nodoka liked this girl. She reminded her of Ranma. It really was a good thing that Nabiki and Kasumi had shown an interest in Ranma. If Akane had been engaged to Ranma she didn't want to even think about the amount of chaos that the two would likely cause.

"Does this magic have anything to do with Ranma leading the recon group?" Soun asked. If Ranma could teach this to his soldiers, or pass the ability along to his children even, it would help them immensely.

"Yes and No actually. His ability to find hidden ships is only distantly related to his shapeshifting. Also he wouldn't define that ability as magic, though to the rest of us it might as well be." Genma answered his old buddy

"Is there anything else we should know about Ranma or is everything his story to tell?" Akane was getting annoyed at being unable to get anything useful out these people.

"You're starting to catch on Akane." Nodoka said as she smiled.

Akane wished that Nabiki had stayed here. If Nabiki were here she would probably be able to weasel all sorts of information out them. Than Akane remembered something that made her feel better, Nabiki was with Ranma, the source of all the mystery.

* * *

"So Ranma this gender thing you do is essentially magic. Hot or cold water will change you depending on what body you're in at the time." Nabiki paraphrased what Ranma had just told her. Pumping people for information was a favorite game of hers and Ranma had some very interesting information.

"Uh yeah cold water changes me into a girl, hot water back to a boy." answered Ranma.

"That must be very enlightening for you. How long have you had this ability?" Kasumi was interested as well.

"Four years now. I got it when I was twelve. Actually it's supposed to be a curse. The place where I got it was called the cursed pools of Jusenkyo. But other than the occasional problem it hasn't bothered me too much. And it is useful in some situations actually." Ranma was slowly loosening up around these women. They didn't seem to mind him switching genders too much. It obviously intrigued them but didn't seem to repel them any. A lot of people tended to think he was disgusting because of it at first, and it took them a long time to get over their first impression. That tended to hurt him some, but he had learned to live with it. After all it helped him separate his real friends from the posers.

"And where would turning into a girl be useful?" Nabiki had some ideas herself but she wondered what Ranma had come up with on his own.

"Well when I'm in a fighter cockpit it helps. My female body is smaller so it has less inertia and women seem to handle high g-forces and unusual environments a bit better than men." He was hoping that by staying on technical aspects of his curse they wouldn't discuss about how society treated him differently.

"Well I was hoping to know about how you would see life differently as girl, versus being a boy." Kasumi was interested in that part the most. She loved to study human nature.

"Uh I haven't spent that much time off the carrier actually, we're usually on business, that and I was raised as boy most of my life so I don't actually see the world as a girl does. It's more of a glimpse really."

"I'll bet you just don't like talking about how many guys come on to you before realizing you're not a girl." Nabiki ribbed him. That and she was a little curious.

"Well that's only a problem occasionally. Some really dumb people have seriously freaked out about it though."

"That would be Ryoga and Kuno wouldn't it?" Nabiki remembered Ranma mentioning them.

"Yeah those two are a couple of fruit cases. I'd rather not talk about them at the moment actually. Uh, what about you two? You haven't told me anything about yourselves yet." Ranma was a little uncomfortable about being the center of attention in anything other than a fight.

"Alright I suppose it is only fair. I'm Nabiki Tendo, age seventeen. I was pulled out of school when I was eleven. After that I was given private tutors. I have attended some advanced classes for strategy at the Academy as well as taken some courses for physics at the Institute. I'm in charge of collecting intelligence on our enemies and keeping our operations secret. Normally I am very good at it, the Taidan Empire being here, was an exception " Nabiki figured telling him about her intelligence work would be okay. After all sometimes you had to give before you received.

"I'm Kasumi, I'm nineteen and have a degree in medicine from the Institute. I'm also being trained to handle the diplomatic duties of our kiith and am authorized to act in as a representative in a first contact encounter with any new alien species." Kasumi summarized for Ranma. She was even less used to being in the spotlight than Ranma.

"Okay I'm sixteen and I haven't had a chance to go to any school. My mom and pop taught me most of what I know. I've picked some stuff from the engineers and doctors that we have aboard. I'm also a first rate combat pilot and can fly any fighter made. I'm also familiar with every corvette class ship as well as most hiigaran frigates. I also know the Vengeance and the Senken carrier well enough to command either." Ranma paraphrased some of his abilities.

"Okay that's a start. Uh how exactly did you get the curse any way? Or whatever you call it." Nabiki asked. She didn't want to call it a curse if it would alienate him. This alliance was important to her kiith and family. Besides Ranma seemed like an okay guy so far, and he was cute in either form.

"Uh well that's a little embarrassing." Ranma said with that slightly sheepish expression of his again. He had raised his arm to scratch the back of his head like some schoolboy. Nabiki found it amusing.

"Well, now I just have to know." Nabiki said jokingly.

"Okay. We heard about the springs and went to collect some samples. While doing that I slipped and fell in. Mom was right shocked when I popped up with red hair. Could have been worse though, most of the springs apparently turn you into animals."

"I would have thought she would have been more shocked about you having breasts than having red hair." Kasumi commented.

"Well I fell in four years ago so I wasn't as uh, _mature,_ then as I am now. We didn't figure out the rest of the changes until I climbed out of the water."

Nabiki looked at him surprised "You mean you had to deal with them growing out. That must have been an experience, puberty as both a girl and guy."

"Yeah since my girl half hit puberty first it was real weird. I had sorta been prepared for some stuff as a guy from talking to the doctors." Ranma was not going to mention the trip where Genma had talked to him about the birds and the bees by smuggling him into a seedy bar with girls dancing on the tables when he had been only eleven. Actually when Genma had shown him the back room with the booths and mirrors Ranma didn't think it would have been necessary to smuggle him in. That bar had had no standards. "It slipped by everyone that I would hit puberty as a girl first. Once we figured out what was going on my mom sat down with me and we had a long and enlightening talk." It also helped repair a lot of the damage done by that previously mentioned trip to the unnamed bar. At least Ranma didn't want to remember the name anyway. "What about you? Why were you pulled from school?" Ranma was used to his curse but he did want to talk about something else.

Nabiki winced. Most people assumed she was pulled from school because she had been so far ahead. That was only partly true. "Well I was a real bright kid, way ahead of my class mates. I ended up with plenty of free time and was kind of bored. So one day I started betting with some of the students over small things like school sports. It was real easy too, but there was an added element of risk that school work lacked. After a while I was running the school's whole gambling ring as well as a loan shark business. I also got into blackmailing and secret trading among the students. That was the real fun part, the finding secrets and making connections. The teachers found out and I got yanked from school. My parents gave me private tutors, lots of them, and also got some of their intelligence agents to start teaching me the business when I was old enough. They figured that since I had shown a larger interest in finding out secrets than running the money making aspects of my business that I might be good at handling the intelligence ring when I got older. Turns out they were right to." Nabiki finished her little tale. She wondered what Ranma would think of that. As much as she would have liked to make up something more flattering she figured secrets and lies weren't a good way to start a potentially romantic relationship.

Ranma looked at her a little stunned "You did this all when you were eleven. Wow. What about you Kasumi, do you have any interesting stories to share?"

Kasumi seemed a little hesitant. "Well my life was a little more controlled than Nabiki's. I was the first child so I was sheltered a bit more than either Nabiki or Akane. I've also had to maintain a reputation of excellent citizenship since I'm the one who handles much of our kiith's business. In the end I'm afraid I don't have too many sordid tales to share. Although there was this one time when an Ambassador from the Taidan Republic insisted on meeting me in the most unusual of bars..."

* * *

Ukyo was relaxing in the Senken's lounge waiting for Ranma to finish his business with the arriving Tendos. She saw Hiroshi and Daisuke walking in with a large amount of bills and happy looks on their faces. "Have you two jackasses been fleecing the engineers out of their hard money again?" She asked as they walked up to her table.

"Yup, and you ain't gonna make me feel guilty about it neither. Those boys are practically begging to have someone take their money." Hiroshi said with his characteristic smile.

"So what bet did you clean up on this time and how come I wasn't in on it?"

Daisuke gulped at this. He could try lying but while he and Hiroshi were good at fooling the rest of the crew they couldn't fool Ukyo. "Uh well you see, we bet them that you would be able to hear Ranma yell from any where in the ship while we were in the engine room."

"And what would Ranma be yelling about exactly." Ukyo asked

"You would have heard it actually. It was when Ranma found out that one the Tendo girls was going to be his fiancée." Daisuke braced himself waiting for Ukyo to explode.

"Oh that's an unusual bet to make." was all Ukyo commented.

A few seconds later the ship reverberated again.

"FIANCEE!"

Only this time it was said an octave or two higher.

* * *

Nabiki stared at her sister, her jaw hanging open. Ranma was blushing all the way to his ears.

"...And after all that he finally agreed to sign the trade agreement and give us the rights to mine the asteroids around the Kart'Alan star system."

"Kasumi you do realize that if father ever heard this story he would die from a heart attack, and dad has a strong heart." Nabiki was still wondering if Kasumi was telling the truth. Ranma was thinking the bar sounded disturbingly familiar.

"Of course I know that Nabiki. Mother doesn't know either and I'll ask that we keep this just between the three of us. Akane doesn't need to be bothered with this story either, you can guess how she would act." Nabiki pictured Akane storming into the diplomat's office and doing something very undiplomatic to the poor pervert, err man.

"I would have thought that Nabiki's contacts would have preferred to meet at someplace like that, not some high ranking diplomat" commented Ranma.

"Actually I meet many of my contacts in nice clean board rooms, and high class restaurants. Those places you can at least be sure that someone at the next table over isn't listening in on one of your conversations." Nabiki never did like the whole small seedy bar scene, it was all too cliche.

"Hey since we're supposed to be getting a tour of the ship, let's see some of it. I would love to see what this thing is made of." Nabiki said.

"Um okay. Mind if I grab a shower first. The cockpit fluid is great for keeping you alive but it's horrible for keeping you clean."

"Sure Ranma." Kasumi said. "Where should we meet you after you've had a chance to clean up?"

"The Lounge is down that hall and to the right. Ukyo should be there and you can talk to her while you wait for me. Just ask anyone there to point her out to you." Ranma said. Ukyo wouldn't embarrass him too much while he got cleaned up, unlike Hiroshi and Daisuke. Too bad he was unaware that Hiroshi and Daisuke were with Ukyo at that very moment.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Standard I don't own Ranma 1/2 or the Homeworld universe, suing me is a waste of money.

**Half a War: Chapter 5**

Genma was showing off the fighter design to Soun and Akane as Nodoka chatted with Kimiko.

"As you can see the cockpit has an excellent field of view and the controls are all with in easy reach. The control panels are uncluttered because we use a layered touch screen for many of the systems. No command is less than three touches away and the computer uses voice recognition to assist the pilot. Of course what really makes this fighter special is the interface that you can't see. Here you two climb into a fighter and put the helmets on. I already initialized this system and if you'll give me a second I'll ready the second fighter." With that Genma hopped down and headed over to set up the second fighter so Akane could experience it.

"Saotome I don't see what the big deal is. The helmet is definitely more comfy than most but I don't see what there is to boast about." Soun was wondering what Genma was talking about. The HUD on the helmet was nothing special. It was standard on every fighter craft.

"Just wait while I get Akane setup here." Genma finished typing in a few commands as Akane strapped on the helmet. "Okay you're both set to go, just hit the ready icon on the screens beside you."

Akane and Soun both did so and then let out a startled exclamation as system came online. "What in the maker is this?" Akane nearly shouted.

"That Akane is the mind machine interface and it makes the Senken partly what it is. Right now both of you are being fed the spatial coordinates of every ship currently with in sensor or communication range. The helmet is translating the binary computer code and sending small bioelectric pulses to your brain in such a way that your mind will translate it into a sense of where each ship is. Right now you're being given position and rough mass. Once a pilot has been trained they can also perceive all sorts of extra information, including ship type, specific details and contours, current firepower, which direction it is facing and a rough idea of the ship's physical condition. And they can do this with dozens of ships at once."

Now that Akane and Soun realized what they were experiencing they could focus on it and try to understand it. It was incredible once you could begin to comprehend it. Akane also found it disconcerting as she could sense the distance of the patrolling ships outside as well as the size of the frigates standing guard around the Senken carrier as well as her C-Chan. What was really staggering was the new sense of size that the ship around had. Not the fighter she was sitting in, which felt like a second skin but the carrier that the fighter was resting in. The fighter was thirty tons at best. The carrier was millions of tons and capable of holding nearly a hundred ships like the one she was sitting in right now. The carrier also contained housing for over twelve hundred crewmembers stationed aboard it. It made her feel incredibly tiny and insignificant when she experienced it all.

"Saotome this is incredible. How did you ever create something like this?" Soun loved it. "To be able to control the machine directly must give you an incredible advantage over your enemies."

"Actually we haven't created a system that lets you control the craft just yet. Signals in and signals out are two different things. Also to actually control a craft even as simple as a fighter is incredibly complex. The human mind can only handle so much information at once. To try and control the craft directly is next to impossible; the concentration required on the parts of the pilots negates the advantages that it might have. Ranma has been using this system his whole life and can integrate with system to an untold level. That's what I mean when I say it might as well be magic. We could never do what he does simply because our minds are slaved to the senses that we grew up with. Ranma might as well be the man with one eye on the island of the blind. In space he rules supreme."

Akane was tired of hearing this gender-swapping perverts praises being sung. "What about the Bentusi? They're actually part of their ships. Wouldn't they be mightier than Ranma?"

"Well I was only referring to our kind and those races that are on near equal standing, like the Taidan." Genma said. He sounded a little deflated. Akane smirked.

"So that's why Ranma led the recon petrol. He could use these ships systems far better than anyone else could." Soun felt better knowing he had solved one mystery if only a small one. "How long does it take to train some to use this system?"

"Not very long, only three months for most new recruits. Some of the older vets that we recruit take longer and rarely achieve the same level of harmony with the system that the young ones do. That's why a lot of the crew you see here is young by military standards." Genma explained.

* * *

Nabiki and Kasumi had found the lounge quite easily and where beginning to understand just how young the crew of the Senken was. There were nearly sixty occupants in the lounge right now and only seven of them were over thirty years in age.

"My this is a young crew" commented Kasumi.

"I hope this doesn't mean they have a high turnover rate." Nabiki said.

Kasumi turned to the nearest person at hand "Excuse could you tell is where Ukyo is? Ranma said we should find her while we waited."

"Sure, Ukyo is over there, near the center of the room. The one with brown hair in a ponytail." answered a young fighter pilot.

"Thank you very much" Kasumi replied politely.

As Nabiki and Kasumi headed towards Ukyo's table they noticed she seemed to be in a heated discussion with two young men, also seated at the table. Both men had short hair and similar builds. One man had light brown hair while the other had dark hair. Other than that was nothing particularly distinct about the two men. Ukyo had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and handsome features. All three also appeared to be Ranma's age. As they approached one man said something to Ukyo and then gestured towards the two sisters. This caused Ukyo to whip her head around so fast that her hair hit one of her companions in the face.

Ukyo was mind was still in a state of disarray. She was about to loose her Ranchan to some girl she had never even heard of. Not only that but there were three potential candidates. If the first Tendo girl didn't work out there were still two more to try and win his hand. Ukyo new from experience that Ranma was hard to win over and that it would take a while for him to really be comfortable with the idea of being engaged no matter how well he acted. That wasn't the problem however, that his parents supported the engagement and would do their best to ensure its integrity was. As Ukyo looked over at the two approaching women her hopes dropped even more. Both were very attractive and moved a certain confidence despite being in a strange ship and just being attacked by the Taidan Empire merely an hour ago. That sort of confidence had to come from somewhere. All that made Ukyo feel like she was way out of her league.

"Hello." greeted the taller of the girls. Her hair was done in a simple ponytail that she wore over shoulder so that it fell down the side of her chest. She had quiet and friendly air about her. She seemed like a girl who would be nice no matter what was happening around her.

"You must be Ukyo. I'm Nabiki and this is my sister Kasumi. Ranma said we should look you up while he got ready to take us on a tour of the ship." She spoke with an assured confidence, as if she knew that no matter the situation, she would be in control of it. Ukyo's only consolation was that her attitude would take a beating after spending any time around Ranma. When Ranma was involved, nothing was in control.

"So where's the third potential fiancée?" Ukyo tried her best to keep the hostility out of her voice. She was pretty sure she failed when Nabiki looked her hard in the eye.

Still looking her in the eye Nabiki answered "Akane our youngest sister won't be taken into consideration for Ranma's future wife do to concerns of incompatibility." Nabiki was still looking Ukyo in the eyes and smiling slightly. "So who are your two friends here?" Nabiki already knew what she really needed to know about Ukyo. It was interesting; she hadn't foreseen any serious competition for the mystery Ranma's attentions. She had figured the Saotomes would have made sure that Ranma knew he was spoken for. Or maybe the Saotomes didn't know about Ukyo's feelings for Ranma. It made sense; Ranma didn't seem like to the type to send his future fiancée to meet his girlfriend. Nabiki wondered what Ukyo's actions would be. Ukyo didn't strike her as the type to give up easily.

Ukyo was caught a little off guard by the seemingly normal question. "Uh this is Hiroshi and that's Daisuke. They're pilots under Ranma's command."

"And two of his best buds. You can't forget that part Ukyo. No one looks out for Ranma quite like the two of us." Added Hiroshi.

"You mean no one makes as much money betting on Ranma as you two" Ukyo corrected.

"Hey it's just one of the perks of being close and personal buds with the Man. Only fools bet against Ranma." Hiroshi still hadn't lost the grin he had acquired after the Tendo sisters walked up to the table. "Oh and have seat, Ranma will probably be a while. He really likes his showers." he commented to Kasumi and Nabiki.

"Thank you" Kasumi was always pilot. Nabiki gave a short nod and a smile as she took her seat.

"At least Ranma likes to be clean. You two haven't even bothered to go anywhere near the showers." Ukyo said towards the two while wrinkling her nose as if catching a bad odor.

Daisuke quickly answered "Hey we have to go back out on Recon patrol again in half an hour. It just seemed like a waste of water to get clean than get dirty again in such a short while."

"I hope those cockpits don't smell too horribly bad." Kasumi remarked.

"Nah the cockpits hardly smell at all. A lot less than your normal air filled ones actually." Hiroshi said. Maybe he could get one of these girls interested in him. After all only one could be Ranma's wife (the lucky dog). Hiroshi turned his best smile towards the sisters.

"Not until you actually get out of them and have to smell yourself covered in that briny water right?" Nabiki could smell both pilots from across the table. The odor wasn't too unpleasant, just sort of strong.

"We should be going. They'll probably want us ready to go out early again. They're being cautious after we arrived only to find the Taidan here. That was a nasty surprise. Good thing the Senken always hyperspaces ready for combat." Daisuke knew what Hiroshi was up to, he also knew that the sisters were way out of either of their leagues.

"That's you're cue to leave Hiroshi. Get out of here or be prepared to listen to girl chat until Ranma arrives." Ukyo smirked. She knew what Hiroshi was up to, just as well Daisuke did.

Hiroshi got up with a look of mock horror on his face. "Oh no anything but that. I'd rather face a beast cruiser with nothing but a pointy stick first." Daisuke stood as well.

"It was a pleasure meeting the both you. One of you will make Ranma a very lucky man." with that the two pilots exited the lounge and headed towards the hangar. Nabiki managed to overhear Hiroshi comment to Daisuke as they walked away "how come Ranma always manages to get all the really good looking chicks?" To her it sounded like question that was asked almost out of habit, if not ritualistically. Nabiki found it amusing and let her smile show on her face, after all it wasn't as if the two pilots could see her right now.

"A pleasure meeting you as well even if it was only for a brief moment" Nabiki knew when to be polite. And these two she knew would be good to have on her side, regardless of what she decided her side would be. She turned back to Ukyo "So Ukyo, how long have you been with Senken? You seem pretty comfortable and everyone seems to know who you are."

"I've been here three years now. I fly strike craft, usually corvettes but sometimes fighter or missile ships when necessary." Ukyo answered

"That's unusually versatile. I thought most pilots concentrated on single craft and flew only that particular type." Kasumi was pretty sure that was how it worked, but she couldn't remember all of her military training, only what was necessary for command.

"That's one of things Commander Saotome doesn't like about the military. They focus too narrowly on one field at a time. A fighter is just a fighter, a missile ship just a missile ship. In the Senken everything and everyone is versatile." Ukyo decided to elaborate "Our missile frigate doubles as a minelayer as well drone frigate or a hive frigate if need be. The fighters we use also have plasma bomb technology that can be switched on in the middle of flight. You lose some speed and maneuverability but you get more firepower. Everyone here is expected to be able to pilot multiple ship types and fill a variety of roles within each ship type. Anyone assigned to a corvette is expected to be able to act as a both gunner and a pilot, just not both at once. If you're normally a gunner on a frigate ship or the Vengeance you're expected to be able to handle the turrets on a corvette as well."

"Doesn't that detract from your pilots efficiency, after all they have to learn so many systems and they can never truly master one of them." Nabiki didn't actually believe her own statement but she wanted to play devil's advocate just to see how Ukyo would react.

"Maybe in the military it does, but we have a different class of personnel here. Here the idea is that if you understand the limitations and strengths of each class of ship you're able to handle your own ship better because you know precisely what it's capable of." Ukyo loved to brag about the Senken. Being part of the best was an incredible feeling, especially when you among the best of the best.

"Still doesn't it take a long time to train everyone on all the different systems and how do you decide what everyone's position is?" Kasumi asked.

"Not as long as you would think and we don't teach everyone everything at once. Also when it comes to organization we have some pretty powerful computers to help us, and every one does have their particular specialties."

Nabiki decided it was time to dig some more dirt on Ranma. "And what is Ranma's specialty exactly?"

"Ranma, he doesn't have a specialty. He's incredible at everything." Ukyo had been warming up to these girls, until they had to ask about her Ranchan.

Nabiki sensed Ukyo starting to clam up a little and decided to try and diffuse the situation some. "Well speaking of Ranma, when he gets back do you want to help him give us a tour? You know fill us in on everything forgets."

Kasumi was quick to endorse the idea. "That would be very nice Ukyo. That is, if you have time? It would probably make Ranma less nervous as well. He's really hasn't had time to deal with the engagement." She liked Ukyo and could tell that Ukyo thought very highly of Ranma.

"Well okay." Ukyo answered. She wasn't too sure how to decline graciously. And as she thought about she realized that this way she could see Ranma's reaction to the girls as well.

"It's settled than. Now all we need to do is wait for Ranma to show up." Nabiki smiled at Ukyo. She'd see just how deep Ranma's and Ukyo's feelings ran for each other.

* * *

Authors Note. I know it's been slow and a little dry but I promise to get into the actual plot a bit more in the next chapter. Please have patience, as I am not a fast and have also restarted classes.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Standard if you've read this far, you should already know how it goes by now.

Authors notes. A lot of the technical stuff here I'm making up. So don't take it too seriously. Also I'm changing the Homeworld universe a little so it works for the setting I've created. Apologies to the purists but I'm simply not smart enough to pull this off otherwise.

**Half a War: Chapter 6**

By: Dusk

The C-Chan and the four remaining frigates were currently in Hyperspace transit. The Senken and it's fleet were in Transit as well. Although both fleets would come out in roughly the same area of space give or take a few hundred kilometers neither fleet could see or even detect the other. The only reason that the C-Chan could stay in contact with its support ships was because the hyperspace modules of each ship had been calibrated to the C-Chan's. If the frigate's hyperspace module ever fell out of alignment it would take hours to recalibrate it and it would never be in tune with the C-Chan's module again. Only very high power communication systems would operate in hyperspace, and they were too easy to listen in on. As such most ships only communicated when in normal space unless it was an emergency. Those conditions caused both problems and opportunities. Aboard the C-Chan two sisters were treating it as an opportunity.

Nabiki and Kasumi were discussing their recent tour of the Senken and a possible stumbling block named Ukyo when Akane joined them.

"So what did you guys think of Senken? It's an impressive group even if Commander's son is a sex changing freak of nature." Akane voiced her opinion quickly as always.

"Yes it was incredible. They have a very complete medical facility. They have equipment that even the Homestead doesn't have." Kasumi remembered the part that interested her the most. It was very nice to see that the Saotomes were looking after their crew. What really surprised her was how few people were in it. It just went to show how competent the Senken was. She privately wished that Senken carrier hadn't been named after the mercenary group that operated it, it tended to get confusing but it was a tradition among mercenaries. She did her best to ignore the comment about Ranma. Defending him would only inflame Akane's temper.

"Boy Akane, you're awfully hard on the guy for only having briefly met him once. Besides we have it on good authority that Ranma himself is a tactical genius as well one hell of a pilot." Nabiki always did dislike the way Akane jumped to conclusions. Carrier command required a quick and decisive mind but Akane tended to take it a bit far. "Besides it's a curse, as in it's not really his fault and has caused him a lot of grief and misery." Nabiki knew that although Ranma blew it off most of the time, reactions like Akane's did hurt him. There was no way it couldn't hurt him.

"Gee Nabiki you're awfully soft on him. Have you decided to be his fiancée already?" Akane figured she'd try and tease Nabiki a little. After all Nabiki would never seriously consider marrying the pervert. If she did that would make him her brother in law and that idea sent small waves of revulsion down Akane's spine.

"Actually I probably will be his fiancée. I don't think he and Kasumi would be a good match. That and the Saotomes are likely to spend a great deal of time away from our home and Kasumi has too many duties that would keep her and Ranma apart. But once you finished at the Academy we could always consider you for the fiancée, after all you're both the same age." Nabiki kept her smirk to herself. Akane should know by now not to try and tease her.

"Ugh. That's not funny Nabiki. You can't seriously expect one of us to marry him can you? He's a freak!" Akane was really worried now. Her sister sounded like she was seriously considering this marriage thing.

"Yes Akane we are serious." Kasumi answered. "We need the alliance with Saotomes. Beside that, Ranma is a very nice, young man. His crew has a great deal of respect for him. Considering his curse I think that speaks volumes about the type of person that he is."

"But he changes sex with water. It's disgusting."

"So is going to the bathroom if you think about it, but we all do it anyway. And as Kasumi said it's not his choice." Nabiki was starting to get tired of Akane's attitude. If Akane didn't outgrow this dislike of boys soon Nabiki would go insane. "Look at this way, Ranma can understand things about being a woman that no man could possibly understand. It makes him the almost perfect spouse if you look at from the right angle."

"I still think it's disgusting."

"Alright Akane. For now we'll agree to disagree, okay?" When Nabiki saw Akane nod she went on to the next bit of subject matter. She and Kasumi would continue to discuss the Ukyo situation later. "Now Akane perhaps you can help me. I'm trying to find the holes in my network. Do you remember who knew you were leaving the Academy on private business?"

"Uh well, there were the administrators my teachers and a couple friends that knew."

"Okay what exactly did you tell your friends?" Nabiki knew she wasn't going to like the answer.

"I told them I wouldn't be able to go to a birthday party because of a family meeting of some sort. I told them I didn't know exactly what it was about."

"Well next time you'll have to be more careful Akane. How much notice did you give your friends and the faculty?"

"Only a couple of days, three at the most."

"Sorry to tell you this Akane but that's probably how Taidan knew how to find us. They have spies in places like the Academy specifically to find out information like that. If there is a next time give as little notice as possible. Once we're back into deeper Hiigaran territory we'll have to do a more thorough sweep of the C-Chan for homing devices."

"Oh you mean they found us because of me." Akane couldn't believe it. She had nearly killed her family because she got a little careless. Of course the Taidan would have spies. Akane started to feel incredibly guilty and stupid in a very short order of time.

Kasumi could see the guilt wash over Akane. Nabiki's rebuke had been mild but Akane was still very insecure. "Don't worry Akane. These things happen. You shouldn't feel guilty about it. You couldn't have known they would track us here."

"Kasumi's right Akane. Kasumi and I have a couple of years of experience over you. Besides this type of thing is my job. I should have been more thorough handling things on your end. It was sloppy on my part. I'm sorry, I should have told you to be careful, and warned you about actions like the ones I just mentioned." Nabiki thought for a moment. Akane was looking in a slightly better mood now. Maybe she could help improve it some more. "Tell you what just so this doesn't happen again I'll give you a crash course on how to be spy. Does that sound good." Giving Akane something to learn would help get her mind off of Ranma and her perceived failure.

"Sure thing Nabiki. We don't have much else to do on the way home anyway."

* * *

Tatewaki Kuno strode through his carrier the Blue Thunder. As he walked down it he silently assessed his crew and judged their work. If it was less than satisfactory the guilty part was guaranteed to hear about it in short order. Tatewaki liked his crew on their toes. It insured that they were ready for anything at a moment's notice. Also, although Kuno would never admit it to himself, he loved to see people in fear of him.

Kuno was after all, the heir to one of the largest military kiithid currently patrolling the frontier's edge. People were supposed to fear him. It didn't matter if they were friend or foe so long as that fear existed. Kuno would deny it if anyone mentioned it to his face, he even denied to himself, but in the end it didn't change anything. Kuno loved that people feared him, he found it intoxicating. Like all intoxicants though, it also affected his judgment. That was why Kuno's crew was trying it best to be under way and ready to hyperspace across several systems in half the time it required it to do it safely.

Kuno didn't care. Akane was out there. She was doubtlessly in trouble and in need of his rescue. He would provide that help, for a price of course. And when life and death hung in the balance any price was worth paying. It was with that thought that Kuno walked into his private quarters aboard the Blue Thunder.

His quarters were considered sacred ground aboard the ship. No one entered without his permission, which was given rarely. He valued his privacy. As Kuno went about changing into clothing fit for practicing his kendo in, a cough interrupted him. Kuno whirled around, his shirt still in his hands and glared at the individual that dared to enter his quarters.

Out of the shadows stepped a small frail looking man. He was a head shorter than Kuno and most likely weighed several dozens pounds less, but he moved very confidently. He looked Kuno directly in the eyes, the gaze strong even though the eyes were sunken. He was also very clearly Taidanni, the gray and pale skin giving it away. Kuno's face lost none of the hard edge about it but it did change to an expression of respect rather than indignation. Hidden behind that respect was also hate, and just a little fear.

"You might as well forget about rescuing the Tendos. Someone beat you to it. The entire strike fleet was wiped out." Was all the man said.

"How do you know they were rescued and not merely superior to the force you sent against them? The Tendos aren't military but they are by no means helpless." Kuno replied as he put his shirt back on.

"A single strike carrier without a true escort against a Heavy Cruiser and full support fleet. No, they were rescued. We believe by the very group that they intended to meet. We were wondering if you happened to know the party involved." The voice sounded friendly but it was more of a command than a request.

Kuno looked at the man carefully. Just because he asked for information it didn't mean that he didn't already know the answer. Kuno decided to reply honestly. "My servants have been unable to obtain any information concerning the unknown group, or if it is even a group. All they managed to get was a general time and a location, both of which I gave to you."

The man nodded to himself, his sunken eyes never leaving Kuno's. "If you do find something be sure to let us know. The empire was not happy about loosing such a valuable fleet. If it is found you deliberately misinformed us there will be consequences." With that the man pulled a mask over his face. Kuno watched as a holographic image of a young Hiigaran cadet replaced the Taidanni's mask. He turned and left through the door without a glance in Kuno's direction. The hissing noise confirming for Kuno that the man had been waiting in his room the entire time and not merely entering after Kuno had arrived.

Kuno glared hatefully at the door. Even three years after being approached by the man he still knew next to nothing of him. His people had only been able to uncover a code name and reputation. The man could find any dirty, little secret buried in the past, particularly skeletons hiding in closets. With that knowledge he could turn any one into his pawns. It was like black magic almost, that was why he had earned the code name Voodoo. That was why he had power over the Kuno kiith.

Kuno hated him but he also needed him. He had the methods of ensuring that Akane Tendo would be his. Kuno had to possess her; it was a driving need, an almost holy quest for him. But Voodoo had failed, and that did not bode well for him in Kuno's eyes. Kuno's own agents were busy tracing the trail of the Kuno bloodline's sins and covering them up quietly, or preparing to cover them at the right time. Patience was a warrior's virtue, so was decisive action. The key was to know which was appropriate for the given situation and when. Kuno would be patient until the time when action was needed, then and only then would Voodoo die at Tatewaki's hands.

It was with those thoughts that Kuno began his kendo practice, venting the stored frustrations on practice dummies and imaginary foes.

* * *

"So Ranma my boy what do you think of the girls? Mighty good prospects, don't you think?"

"Well pops considering I only just met them I can't really make much of a judgment call. It would have been nice if I had some warning over this, instead of having it all fall into my lap all at once. Having to deal with finding out that I'm engaged to a stranger than getting to know said stranger after helping to rescue them from an attack by the Empire, doesn't really leave you in a frame of mind to be thinking rationally about the future." Ranma managed to get out without sounding to sarcastic.

"We're sorry Ranma. That was an error in judgment on our part. We were worried about what you would do if you found out too soon." Nodoka answered her son.

"You mean you were worried that I'd split and never be heard from again. You were also worried that if I had enough time to think about it I would try to sabotage it. In my opinion all fine actions since nobody consulted me about this little arrangement. The Tendos at least get some choice in the matter. Only one of them has to get married." Ranma was still doing his best to keep his temper in check. Getting angry with his mother wasn't the best thing to do. It was one of the reasons that most military kiithid didn't allow family members to serve under each other. It could cause problems in the chain of command when personal feeling got involved. But than The Senken despite being mercenaries fought a war that was very personal in nature.

"We are sorry Ranma but this important. Do you real want your children to be homeless like we are now." Nodoka was doing her best to reason with Ranma.

"Homeless isn't the word. The Bentusi don't have a Homeworld but it doesn't hinder them any." Ranma replied. He was trying to keep his temper in check. Anger was only useful on the battlefield, and only if it was properly directed and channeled.

"Look Ranma, this could all be a moot point if you like the girl you marry. You haven't said you dislike any of them yet." Genma was trying to put things into perspective, at least as far as he could see them.

"Not disliking someone and loving them enough to marry them are two totally different things. It's not like you and mom married because some alliance hung in the balance." Ranma still wasn't keen on the marriage idea. He was still a young man after all.

"Ranma would you at least give them a chance. If you try to make the engagement work, you might be surprised at what happens." Nodoka urged her son.

"Okay I won't try to sabotage it. But we'll have to come clean with them about the truth before I agree to marry one of them. They have no idea what they're getting into and it could get them killed." Ranma looked at his parents. His eyes telling them that he wasn't going to back down in the least. 

"Of course Ranma, when the time is right we'll tell them everything."

To be continued...

Author's notes. Finally some plot in here. Also some actual setup for things to come. Don't worry I do have plan.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and Homeworld are not mine. I'm ripping them off shamelessly and you all know it.

As always comments and criticisms are welcome. Flames will be used to toast marshmallows.

**Half a War: Chapter 7**

By: Dusk

In a small, unnamed system a sun glowed red. It had two small planets, a single gas giant and an asteroid belt surrounding. The asteroids were unremarkable and would be harvested eventually by some kiith. Normally no ships would ever grace this system but on this day ships did arrive, but not for the asteroids or any other resources. They were here to simply use the system as a jumping point. The star and planets provided easy navigation between systems.

"Returning to normal space, checking astro-navigation..." The navigator aboard the C-Chan waited briefly as the computer compared star charts to the visible stars of the system. "Jump successful we are on target."

Akane breathed a sigh of relief. It was rare to jump off target, but it did happen. In this case it would have caused nothing but a delay in travel, but near the battlefront it could drop you in the middle of something you didn't want to be in.

"What about the Senken, are they here yet?" Akane asked.

"Scanning the system now. We are receiving a signal from them. It will take a second to triangulate."

"OK as soon as you have them positioned open a secure channel."

Nabiki walked into the command deck just as Akane gave her last order. "I see you have things well in control. It'll be a few hours before our Mother ship arrives."

"Nabiki why are you always on the bridge? Not even Dad is here nearly as often as you." Akane was getting tired of Nabiki looking over her shoulder.

"Call me paranoid and a control freak. I can't stand not being in the know. You should be used to that by now." Nabiki offhandedly remarked, causing her sister to grind her teeth. "Once you have the Senken on the comm please tell me, I would really like to get the interrogation records of the prisoners."

"Don't worry Nabiki you'll have your records. Or maybe you just want to talk to a certain perverted boy?" Akane smirked to herself. Ha! Let Nabiki chew on that one.

Nabiki sighed. Akane really should know better than to try and tease her like that. "Why Akane, you almost sound jealous. You sure you're not upset over being passed over? I mean he does have an absolutely gorgeous butt, in both forms."

Akane just stood there her mouth gaping, her mind trying to formulate some sort of denial or come back that wouldn't play right into her sisters hands. Akane's crew, who had until this moment being trying to pretend they were ignoring, also reacted to Nabiki's remark. Some chuckled softly to themselves, while others let their jaws hang in shock like Akane. A few even managed to continue their work, ignoring the conversation entirely, or at least pretending to better than the others.

"Commander, we have a secure channel now." The communication tech answered. Akane was thankful for the change in subject.

"Do they have anything important to mention?" Akane asked. Her parents told to at least act civil when dealing with the Saotomes and their crew.

"No sir. Just a request for the ETA of the Mothership and to tell us they'll be able to arrive at our position with in 2 hours."

"Granted." Akane answered. She turned to Nabiki "Anything you want to say to them?"

"Sure I would like to request a copy of their interrogation records and to question the prisoners when the Senken arrives."

Communication officer relayed the message and waited a brief moment before as the Senken gave the answer. "Granted. The records will be handed to you when you board the Senken."

"Why can't they just send them over the comm?" Akane asked.

"Too much information, especially after it's been encrypted. Plus no matter how secure a channel is there could always be someone there to intercept it and eventually decode it."

"How can it have that much information? It's just audio and video right?"

"Actually it's several angles of video as well several streams of medical information. Plus there is the video of the interrogator as well as any information on the history of the prisoner. This is for each prisoner. The Senken probably won't have even finished with all the interrogations by the time I get there. You also don't have the facilities here to properly evaluate them. I'd need the Riskbreaker for that."

"Would you stop badmouthing my ship Nabiki." Akane said tiredly. "So it's not as fast or as sophisticated as yours, It's not meant to be. It's a front line battler. Firepower and survivability were what it was built for."

"I know Akane, I just miss my Riskbreaker. Maybe I'll bring Ranma along when I go to pick it up." Nabiki said the last part mostly to herself but just loud enough for Akane to hear. With that she turned around and left the bridge.

Akane could only role her eyes. Her sister actually did seem to like the pervert, the maker knew why.

* * *

Aboard the Senken Ranma was checking the fighters and making sure that the flight was ready in case of an emergency. He was also doing his best not to let his buddies constant whining get to him.

"Come on Ranma, you have to tell us which one you like better. I mean you can't have them both. You have to let us have a shot at one of them." Hiroshi implored his best buddy and commanding officer.

"Yeah man. Don't hog all the good girls. Leave us something." Daisuke was quick to add.

"First of all, both girls are way out your league. They'd be out of mine too except for this arranged marriage deal. Also I do not hog all the girls. For crying out loud I haven't even dated a girl, ever. I've never had the time." Ranma replied to his friends. He liked the two guys and all, he really did but man could they get on his nerves sometimes. Especially when it involved girls.

"But that's just the problem. You aren't dating any of the girls here so they all hold out hoping that they'll be the one you ask out." Daisuke couldn't believe that Ranma didn't see that.

"That's stupid and you know it. There is no way every girl on this ship is waiting for me to ask them out. You're just using me to cover up your inadequacies." Ranma had a hard time believing two of his best pilots could be such idiots. "And that excuse doesn't hold true anymore since I am officially spoken for."

"But, couldn't you at least put in a good word for us with the one you don't pick." Hiroshi pleaded.

"Will you stop pestering me if I do?"

"Yeah, of course."

"No problem man."

"Okay, I'll see what I can dredge up about you two that might be even remotely redeeming." Ranma told his friends

"Thanks man you're the best." Hiroshi looked like the girl was as good as his already. Daisuke didn't look any less grounded than his counterpart.

"I don't know Ranma, trying to a find a redeeming quality concerning those two might be more than you can handle." Ukyo said as she came beside him.

"Tell me about it. Say Ucchan what did you think of Kasumi and Nabiki. I've asked these two but all I get out of them is cat noises and comments about babes."

"Well they seem nice enough, especially Kasumi but, well they seem kinda snobbish at the same time. Nabiki gives me the impression of being smart and very dangerous as well, like she could have you beaten before you actually knew it." Ukyo did her best not to be too negative of them. Ranma did seem to like them and that was what really worried Ukyo.

Daisuke could only roll his eyes at that. Ranma just seemed totally clueless as to how much Ukyo was head over heels for him.

"Hmm I didn't really notice. Are you sure? They didn't seem snobbish to me." Ranma commented. Mostly to himself as he thought over what Ukyo said.

"Actually Ranma I came over here to talk about the Taidan." Ukyo said trying to change the subject. "Have the interrogators figured out why they were there?"

"Apparently information was leaked at the Tendo end of things. The Taidan had no idea we were coming otherwise they would have sent a much larger fleet or nothing at all."

"That makes sense." Hiroshi said. "After all we had no meetings or appointments to change. We also don't need to let anyone know where or when we're going plus we're nearly impossible to track." 

"The question is, why did the Taidan think the Tendos were so important that they sent an entire strike fleet deep into Hiigaran territory?" Daisuke added. Once his mind was off of girls he was capable of remarkably intelligent observations. He could have been an interrogator if he hadn't loved flying so much.

"Maybe the Taidan know something we don't about the Tendos." Ukyo suggested.

"That's a possibility. I think they just got wind of the Tendos leaving for a secret meeting and would be moving with the most speed possible, therefore with a smaller and less powerful fleet. They probably wanted to eliminate them or hold them for ransom." Daisuke commented. The gears in his head were working, slow and rusty from disuse but still working. 

"And they probably would have succeeded too if we had arrived twenty minutes later." Hiroshi added.

"Well, we'll have our answers when they're done interrogating the prisoners" Ranma said.

* * *

The Tendo Mothership Dojo had arrived at the designated coordinates and the Senken had taken up a flanking position beside it. Currently a prisoner transfer was underway from the Senken to the Dojo which had better facilities for handling them. As well equipped as the Senken was, it was still only a carrier and not a full fledged Mothership. Nabiki was overseeing the prisoner transfer while Kasumi helped Akane with re-supplying the C-Chan. Ranma was out with his friends taking a flyby of the Tendo Mothership.

"Man that's solid construction. They don't make them like they used to." Hiroshi commented.

"Actually they don't make them at all anymore." Ukyo said back.

"It's too bad that the Hiigaran military won't let anyone but military kiithid build Motherships anymore." Ranma sounded wistful.

"I sympathize. At least they didn't make it retroactive." Hiroshi said.

Nearly three generations ago the Military powers determined that Mothership class vessels were too indefensible a target. As a result no kiith was allowed to have a Mothership constructed for them. This caused an outrage among the smaller and more independent minded Kiithid. The matter had taken nearly five years to sort out. In the end the council ruled that the military was right but that any Kiith that possessed a Mothership already could keep and maintain it for as long as possible. The Dojo was one of the few non-military Motherships still in service and had been in service for six generations. It had been continually renovated and updated as new technologies were discovered. It was also fiercely defended by the Tendo Kiith from any and all attacks against it. Including when one of the military kiithid had tried to requisition it. The reason given that the kiith could not afford to wait for a new Mothership to be built after it had just lost it's own in a battle against the beast. The Tendo kiith had successfully argued that the Dojo was not fit for frontline battle and would actually hinder a military kiith. After the Tendos won that battle no military kiith had bothered to try and requisition The Dojo again.

As Ranma looked at the Dojo he briefly wished that The Senken had been a Mothership and not a carrier. The scale of battle they would be able to wage against the Taidanni Empire would have been staggering. But there was no use wishing about what could have been. Instead he admired the Dojo for what it was. A self contained city capable of housing and feeding nearly fifty thousand people. Also able to construct ships of up to cruiser size and research it's own technologies. It also followed the old Somtaaw principle of being modular in design so it could be easily and efficiently upgraded. The Senken carrier followed the same principle. After being in service for fifteen years the Senken hardly resembled it's original configuration.

"Well Ranma when you're done making puppy dog eyes at it we can always land and see what the inside looks like. I don't care how good these helmets are, you can't truly appreciate the size of it until you've been inside." Hiroshi said.

"Oh, and are you talking from experience Hiroshi or just guessing?" Ukyo asked somewhat sarcastically.

"It's an educated guess. After all can you really imagine right now what the construction bay for cruiser size ships will look like? I know I can't." Hiroshi shot back.

"Okay we'll ask for permission to board. I doubt we'll get to see to much of it for now though." Ranma said before am argument could break out between Ukyo and Hiroshi.

"Hey you gave those two Tendo sisters a tour. You should see if they'll give us a tour of the Dojo." Daisuke added his suggestion.

"I'll bet they're real busy at the moment." Ukyo was quick to say.

"Nah they won't be. They have people under them, they can delegate." Daisuke said. Ukyo could only grind her teeth in annoyance.

"Once we land we should get the communication systems checked. Mine seems to be making some weird noises." Hiroshi sounded a little perplexed.

* * *

After the pilots of the Senken had landed aboard the Dojo they only had a short wait before Kasumi arrived to greet them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't realize you would be coming aboard." Kasumi said to the assembled pilots.

"Actually this was sort of a spur of the moment idea." Ranma said a little nervously.

"Oh that's quite alright. Is there anything in particular you wanted to see while you're visiting." Kasumi asked still smiling sweetly.

Hiroshi was quick to speak up. "Could you show us the construction bay, the one for cruisers and carriers? If that isn't too much of a problem?"

"Not at all. It's just this way. We'll take a tram, it's a longer walk than it seems." Kasumi said.

A moment later and the five of them were on their way. When they arrived they greeted with the sight of not only the construction bay itself but also a cruiser nearly three quarters finished already. The cruiser itself was impressive even only partially complete. Already it had a mass of nearly 120 000 tons. The weapon systems were already in place as could be seen by the six heavy turrets featured along the outside of the hull. The nose section was still incomplete and open decking could be seen.

"You know I never really realized it before, but you walk down the barrels of those guns standing up, and still stretch your arms out." Hiroshi said sounding awed.

"Hmm, I never really looked at that way," Kasumi said "but I believe you're right."

"I don't believe how big this room is. You could have a dogfight in here and not worry about running out room." Ukyo said. For once forgetting her agitation and letting herself experience the enormity of Dojo without reservation.

"It almost feels like a planet. You can even feel a breeze in here, and it's not the ventilation system." Ranma said. He had his eyes closed and a slight smile on his face as he turned toward the breeze.

"He's right. Hey do you guys ever get rain in here?" Daisuke asked as he mimicked Ranma.

"Oh no. Although we do have to be careful. Once we had a problem with environment control and the entire bay fogged up. You couldn't even see your hand in front of your face." Kasumi related.

"Not to mention that after five minutes everyone would have been soaked to the bone. The repair crews couldn't have been happy." Ukyo said. A humorous smile on her face.

"No they weren't too happy. Although they did learn not to complain about lack of work for them to do after that." Kasumi said smiling at Ukyo. She was a nice girl. Too bad Nabiki was right about her liking Ranma. Kasumi really didn't want to break them apart but it was necessary. Kasumi understood that sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the greater good and if a broken heart was the worst to come from the alliance and marriage between the two Kiithid than Kasumi would count everyone lucky. Still she couldn't help but feel a little guilty about it.

"What's this, you couldn't wait for me?" Nabiki said joining her sister and the Senken pilots. "You know I'm not so busy that I can't find time to show my possible fiancé around my own families ship."

"Sorry Nabiki I didn't realize you wanted to join us." Kasumi said still smiling. Ukyo began to wonder if she ever stopped smiling.

"That's okay I'll just have Ranma make it up to me. What do you say Ranma, want to go with me to retrieve my carrier? I just got word the repairs are done." Nabiki flashed one of her best smiles at Ranma.

"Does everyone in your family have there own carrier?" Ukyo asked incredulously.

"It's a little bit of a tradition among the ruling families of the Tendo Kiith. Usually who every does the best job managing their carrier gets selected to command the Dojo when the current commander steps down. That will probably be Kasumi here. Here carrier is closest to a Mothership in form and function. Plus she is the best at keeping everything running smoothly and efficiently." Nabiki explained as Kasumi looked slightly embarrassed from the praise. "So what do you say Ranma want to take a little trip, just you me and a couple of escorts?" The last she said with her eyes on the three pilots behind Ranma.

"Sure why not. It could be fun. If anything goes wrong we can protect you." Ranma said. He hadn't had a chance for some real fun in a while. He smiled at the prospect of a little action without his parents peering over his shoulder.

"Great. Though I don't know how much fun we'll be able to have. We're going to meet the Bentusi, what could go wrong?"


End file.
